Seemed Like a Good Idea!

Tried to teach the little ones to ski over the holidays. Two- and four- year olds with waxed boards strapped to the bottom of their feet pointing down a steep snow-covered slope. Yeah...seemed like a good idea at the time. The good news is noone broke ANYTHING! :) (That's Paul's ski next to Kate's ski!)

Check out Grandma Darlene's photos of the excursion: http://ronanddar.shutterfly.com/58

Here are my photos:http://the704reids.shutterfly.com/2991

Leading the Way in Technology...Preschoolers and Senior Citizens?!?!?!

Found this article in the NYTimes quite interesting, thought I would share! My 2 and 3 year old kids "visit" with both Grandma's over a webcam and my daugther has even refused a phone call and demanded a computer visit instead.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/27/us/27minicam.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

"Video calling, long anticipated by science fiction, is filtering into everyday use, and two demographic groups not usually thought of as high-tech are among the earliest adopters — the nursery school set and their grandparents. According to the AARP, nearly half of American grandparents live more than 200 miles from at least one of their grandchildren, and about two-thirds of grandchildren see one set of grandparents only a few times a year, if that. Some veterans of the technology fear that the video cam has started to substitute, rather than supplement, actual time together. And no one quite knows what it means to a generation of 2-year-olds to have slightly pixelated versions of their grandparents as regular fixtures in their lives."

Grandmas, Grandmas, Grandmas Everywhere!

Some people may not be aware that my mother has been suffering from a mystery illness that has caused doctor after doctor to run inconclusive test after test. Seeming to have come to the end of the road with treatment options, her last resort was seek out help from an traditional Chinese doctor. While she did not believe, not even for a second, that this was what she needed, she never the less decided to give it a try since there was nothing really left. And...amazingly...the treatments seem to be working!
For the past 12 months I have seen my mother become less and less active and unable to be the grandmother she longed to be to her growing grandchildren. And, suddenly, she seems to be making a comeback! Today she stopped by and played "Hi-Ho Cherry-O" with Kate and "Candyland" with Ashton. One month ago she would not have been able to bend down to play. Woohoo! I hope this treatment stays on track and I get my mother back. (And FYI - Kate absolutely LOVED Hi-Ho Cherry-O, she thoroughly enjoys sorting colors and counting the little pieces.)
Also, more good grandparent news! Paul's parents will be arriving in a few short days to spend Halloween with us! Ashton couldn't be more excited and filled with anticipation, while I'm sure Kate will be thrilled when she realizes what is going on. We are very happy they will be coming and, by the frost warning posted for later this week, know they are on their way! ;) (Coming from Detroit they ALWAYS seem bring the cold with them, be it Spring or Fall.) My one wish while they are here is to make sure we get plenty of good photos of everyone together for Darlene's scrapbooks. Either she or I are always behind the camera and never in any of the shots together. HINT HINT Paul.

Bad Economy = Time To Rethink "Wealth"

As the economy stumbles and slides, I've observed the stress levels of people all around me inch upward. As the overall financial health of this country is beyond my power (other than making sure I cast my ballot in Nov), I've decided to turn my eyes toward the things in my life I can control and the happiness I get from them. Here goes!

• Picking up Kate from preschool every day and the always getting a big hug and even bigger smile followed by "Mommy's here!" (as if we've been away from each other 4 months as opposed to 4 hours)


• Hearing Ashton always ask for seconds, not for himself, but to ensure Kate gets whatever it is he is getting


• Watching the leaves change on the trees and realizing how wonderful fall is in NC. I'm thankful that nature takes no notice of the NYSE!


• Buddy, the coolest cat of all time, is mine and always has time for me to pet him and cuddle with him.


• Having a good man for a husband. One that is patient, even keeled and a good father to our children.


• Meeting new and always interesting people in my job and seeing them insist on having fun, no matter what type of day they had


• Loving my neighbors and the fact that we all know each other by first name


• Listening to my niece's voice over the phone. (It's so adorable and tiny)


• Having both my mother and father alive and around for me, but also for my children to know their grandparents (Both of my grandfathers had passed away before I was born)


• Talking to my grandmothers, both of them, and realizing what huge impacts they've both had on my life and how lucky I am to have to help me parent my little ones


• Having a great mother-in-law that truly loves her grand kids and who's grand kids love her


• Thinking ahead to how this will be the first halloween both of the kids will really be into it and how much fun it's going to be to take my little red dragon and fair maiden princess out to trick-or-treat!


• While we have little left over, I am happy that both Paul and I have jobs and are able to pay all our bills each month and on time!


• Realizing that myself, my husband and my children are all healthy

I mean, really, happiness come not from what happens to you in life but how you react to it right? So, while my retirement savings circle the drain (remember, my background is in the financial industry) all I can do is look forward to working the rest of my life and raising kids that will do well enough to support me in my twilight years! ;)

T.L.O.L.W.W.N.A.A.

Ashton and I picked out a book from the library yesterday that was both a fall theme and had a title that reminds me of my mother. Check it out sometime, great little tale full of sound and rhythm. (I re-read it to Kate and Ashton in the bathtub tonight and they loved it even more.)

"The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything"

by Linda Williams

Hurricanes Haunt Me (Partial Party Cancelation)

Hurricanes are famous for ruining my special days. This year is no different. For those of you who don't know, Hurricane Wilma wrecked my honeymoon and left Paul and I stranded for many days in Mexico. (See photo to the left of downtown Cancun).

As the song "One way or another, I'm gonna find ya, I'm gonna get you, get you get you" springs to mind, Hurricane Ike is (brace yourself for a bad pun) going to rain on my parade tomorrow. No, we are NO WHERE NEAR the path of this monster storm, heck, it's supposed to be 90*F and sunny! But as the Texas gulf gets pounded and oil refineries have shut down, the price of gas in our area has shot up so high (over $1 per gallon in the past 24 hours) we must cancel the driving part of Kate's party tomorrow. Of course, only because I wanted to visit the drive through ranch does this happen. Oh well, the new change of plans involves having Angelique and rest of the NC mountains branch of the family (Mom, Freddy, Auntie Karen and Dominique) come down earlier than the 4pm party to hang out in our neighborhood pool. It's predicted to be stiflingly hot tomorrow and the pool is open weekends so the party will go on, but man oh man. What did I ever do to anger the hurricane gods?

SIDE NOTE: For those of you who have never lived through a hurricane, pray for those unfortunate souls who are in TX and SW LA. Their property will be water and wind damaged, followed by the mold and mildew that erupts from the heat and moisture. They will be without power or food for who knows how long, but the one thing that really stands out in my mind about the aftermath of Wilma is waiting for the water to recede. You may not realize it, but not only is the saltwater/flood water everywhere and destroying most things it touches, it's full of sewage, oil, gas, trash, dead bodies of animals and whatever disgusting things there are about. And to get anywhere - you have to wade through it, sometimes through waist high levels. The stench is something I will never forget and chances are it may be a while before there is clean water for them to wash it off. Those poor, poor people. I hope FEMA has it together this time around and they can get back to normal as quickly as possible.

You Go Girl (To the Potty That Is)!

Today Katherine Elizabeth: went pee-pee on the potty for the 1st time EVER! 1 year, 10 months old! You go (to the potty) girl!

While at grandma's she saw Ashton go, said "I go pee-pee too", ran to the potty, had me help with her diaper and take off her dress, sat down "neked" in nothing but her brand new New Balance shoes and socks and just did it. I wanted to scream WOOHOO, but thought she'd be startled into stopping mid-pee and then we'd have a mess. That pause was the hardest thing I've had to do in a long time.

I see the proverbial light at the end of the long and expensive diaper tunnel I've been in since 2004. Come on potty-trained children!!!!

Gone Too Long, Back Too Soon

Last night I drove the kids up to my mom's house where they very happily are spending the weekend. I've been told that due to their busy schedules of hide and go seek games with Angelique, Ashton going pee-pee on the potty all by himself, and the help they are giving to Papa Freddy with building the swing set he and Grandma bought for the grand kids, they have no time to talk with me on the phone!
While Paul and I are grateful for the much needed break from Ashton & Kate, I find myself not enjoying the time alone like I thought I would. It's peaceful, but a little boring to say the least. Well, at least it's been productive!

In between the umpteenth phone calls to check on them, tell them I missed them, say their prayers, monitoring Ashton's potty-training progress and Kate's growing vocabulary, Paul and I managed to clean out the garage and do some major spring cleaning in the house. My plan, though not necessarily Paul's plan for the garage, was to clear as much room out for the kids to play in there as possible.
Now that Ashton has a best friend - Richard - who lives across the street he loves to play with and Kate has a boy near her age, Juan Sebastian, up the way, the garage is more accessible for the neighborhood kids to come and play in. Also, the deck is a great place for playtime, but during the hot summer months, the poor little ones can bake like a cake out there in the afternoons, due to the horrible lack of shade trees.

I am ready for the kids to come home, yet want just ONE MORE DAY without them. Motherhood, the conundrums that occur are seemingly endless!

See in the below photos the hard work Paul and I are VERY PROUD OF! :) Everything has a place and a home. I am so excited for the little ones to see a new space to play.

*Notice the peg board with hooks and etc., the tool holders on the wall we installed on both sides of the garage, and the workout equipment stowed away.